CanoeKayak Canada (CKC) just announced their Sprint National and Development teams. Up to 42 National Team athletes receive “Carding” (or funding) support through Sport Canada’s Athlete Assistance Program.

The catch: this is only for athletes in Olympic Sports/events.

CKC cannot disperse money from Sport Canada to athletes in Non-Olympic events. (But we are pretty sure they want to!).

So, what is the problem ?

Canada’s World Champion and medal-winning Women Canoeists still do not and cannot receive funding for their outstanding performances.

• 2013 Senior Sprint Canoe World Champions Laurence Vincent Lapointe and Sarah-Jane Caumartin - No money. Laurence is also the U23 World Champion.
• VIDEO
  • 2013 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Duisburg C1 WOMEN 200m
  • 2013 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships Duisburg C2 WOMEN 500m
  • Canoe Niagara | Race 157 – Final A, C1 U23 Women 200m

• 2013 U23 Sprint Canoe World Championships Bronze Medalists and Pan American Medalists Taylor Potts and Maria Halavrezos - No money.

• VIDEO Canoe Niagara | Race 165 – Final A, C2 U23 Women 500m

Lack of Olympic status keeps outstanding women canoeists around the world - Sprint AND Slalom - at a severe economic disadvantage to continue to train and compete at the highest levels.

Please write to your National Federations and to the International Canoe Federation. Women Sprint and Slalom Canoeists deserve Olympic Status for Rio 2016, and C1 and C2 events for 2020. They deserve equal status at all levels of the sport and deserve to be rewarded for their accomplishments.

Congratulations to these outstanding paddlers:

Canada’s Senior National Development Team- Women’s Canoe

• Laurence Vincent-Lapointe
• Sarah-Jane Caumartin
• Taylor Potts
• Maria Halavrezos
• Hannah MacIntosh
• Mariah Godin
• Meghan Sibthorpe

Junior National Development Team - Women’s Canoe

• Katie Vincent
• Jacqueline Dunn
• Nadya Crossman-Serb
• Jillian Perrone
• Juliette Brault
• Nicole Jessop
• Emmanuelle Guilbert
• Jessica MacDonald